


When You're Heartbroken and Drunk

by FreeGrain



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: Broken Bones, Car Sex, Drunk Driving, Engaged Nickorello, F/F, Hospitals, Never - Freeform, Sex, Understand that Stella and Piper are NOT getting together, drunk, vauseman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-09-14 12:03:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9180679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeGrain/pseuds/FreeGrain
Summary: AU where Piper never went to prison. But Larry cheated on her with Polly and now she's heartbroken.{Piper x Alex}





	1. Wanna Show Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, Vauseman fic coming right up! OITNB is my most recent fandom and this ship and show and stuff is just crushing my heart. I might write a Nichorello fic later because yes. Anyway, enjoy and please review! P.S. There will be another chapter later on ;)

Piper shuddered as the alcohol hit the back of her throat. She closed her eyes, swallowing the burning liquid down. Honestly, she didn't really like the drink, she just wanted to block the whole world out with alcohol and leave it all behind. She set her glass down, staring down at the bar table. Dammit, damn the whole world.

It was only two days ago that her fiancé had broken things off with her. There wasn't going to be a wedding anymore. He'd cheated on her and hadn't even tried to defend himself when she'd accused him. It just hurt so much. She'd thought they'd been in love, she thought they were going to be together forever. But that was a lie and now she knew that. What more, he had the nerve to cheat on her with her best friend, Polly.

She had never felt so betrayed and hurt in her life. Two people she had thought had loved her had screwed her over together and didn't even apologise. They weren't talking to her. Piper had grabbed her stuff and left his house the same night she'd found out. Right now, she was crashing with her brother, Cal, and his really odd wife. She didn't like his place one bit but it was better being with that bastard, Larry.

She was here right now to just drink away her feelings until it only a weird fuzzy feeling in the back of her mind. She'd dance the night away from strangers and probably make out with them too. The morning after that, she'd wake up in someone else's bed with an aching headache. It was horrible, but it was worth the small bit of relief she got from it.

"Another."

The barman arched his eyebrows at her but said nothing. He walked off to get her drink. He had a right to be surprised, she mused. It was her fifth one in the last twenty minutes. The alcohol wasn't working its usual magic, it wasn't strong enough to drown her pain away.

A shot glass landed in front of her and Piper grabbed it immediately with despair. The barman quickly walked away, throwing her odd looks over his shoulder. She couldn't care less what he thought of her. She quickly drained the small glass, the warm liquid flowing smoothly down her throat. She set the glass down, shaking her head. She could feel it starting to take effect, her brain and thinking slowing down. She smiled and turned about in her seat.

She gazed out across the bar, taking in everyone around her with interest. Everywhere stank of alcohol and sweat, it was disgusting but strangely comforting. Across the room, a huge mass of writhing and dancing bodies as the drunk men and women danced the night away. She'd join them later when she felt up for it. The door was closed, shutting out the cold night and only opening to let another person in.

She sighed. She hated the way she did this, hated the fact that she felt that only alcohol would be there to help her. Her family was pretty useless when it came to comforting one another. Cal, he cared deeply about her but he wasn't really a people person. He didn't understand feelings very well. Like come on, he'd pulled a wedding during their grandmother's funeral for God's sake! He was trying to help but he just couldn't. He didn't understand.

Her parents were even worse than her insensitive brother. They were ignoring her point blank and weren't even acknowledging her presence when they saw her. She was a 'shame' on her family name, Chapman. When she'd been on the prospect of marriage, she'd been the star of the family. They'd been so proud of her and they're spoken without conflict. But now? It was humiliating for them to have her without a future husband. Bastards.

She leaned back, casting her eyes back at the barman. She didn't have to say anything, he hurried off to get her another drink. She'd have a massive bill at the end of the night but it'd be well worth it. It would be worth it like everything else she was just throwing away.

She drained another glass of sweet, sweet vodka and stood up, heading across the room. It was working. Her vision blurred slightly and she tottered slightly. But she made it across the room without falling and started to dance. The music was loud and had an amazing beat to it, perfect for dancing, and she easily found a rhythm.

She started swaying her hips in time to the music, closing her eyes as she let it wash over her. It was comforting to say the least. The music echoed in her head and she leaned back into the crowd. Many body parts rubbed up against her and occasionally she felt a hand stroke her skin seductively. She opened her eyes, turning about to see if she could find anyone to stoke her pleasures.

A few minutes later she found herself kissing a man by the bar. His lips tasted of alcohol and cigarettes, a disgusting taste that she absolutely hated. The kiss was awful so she started to pull away from him. But he didn't want that to happen. His hands closed around her ass, firmly holding her to him. She glared up at him, shoving him without much success.

"Let go, you perverted freak!"

He grinned at her, showing he was missing his front teeth. Her disgust grew even more. She tried to push him away but he pinned her tightly to the wall. She started to struggle, actually shrieking as she tried to get away. His lips kissed a line down her throat, his hands wandering up her chest and about her ass. She punched him but it did nothing. She started to panic.

"Hey, back off, dude."

A hand landed on the man's shoulder and he turned around, releasing his grip on her. He glared up at the intervener, blue eyes glowing with fury. But the moment they landed on the person's face, his expression changed from anger to sudden worry. He took a step back, raising his hands defensively.

"Whoa, sorry. Sorry, my bad," he muttered, detaching himself from Piper.

Piper breathed out in relief, a strange buzzing humming in the back of her mind. She took a step forward, raising her gaze to the tall saviour in front of her. She actually forgot to breath, her heart suddenly quickening in pace. The person standing in front of her was the most gorgeous woman Piper had ever seen.

She was tall and athletically built with gorgeous dark hair and high arching eyebrows. Perched upon her nose were a pair of black framed glasses, ones that you'd typically see on a secretary but they suited her so well. She was dressed in this tight, black dress that showed off her fabulous figure and contrasted nicely with her hair and skin. Piper was absolutely speechless, staring open mouthed at her, her tongue completely frozen.

"I guess, you're welcome then?" the woman smiled, though her words did have any bite to them.

Suddenly Piper's tongue unfroze and she could speak again. She stumbled over her words, totally aware that she was shellshocked by this woman's beauty. She silently cursed herself. "Thank you! Thank you! For saving- well no not saving exactly, I wasn't really in danger. Well, there was always the possibility of rape but I'm pretty such I could handle that but still, technically you-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up there, slow down, kid! I can't process so much words at once! The alcohol does that to you," the woman grinned, tapping her left temple.

Piper's cheeks burned with embarrassment as she glanced down at the floor, trying to avoid the gorgeous woman's gaze. Trust her to get all flustered and stupid. She was usually so smooth and flirty. It was the alcohol, God dammit.

"Hey, how about I buy you a drink, huh?" the woman offered. "Might help you with your words and get you back on your feet."

She took Piper by the hand and led her back across the room to the bar. Piper didn't know what to do, she was way too confused and the feeling of the woman's hand in hers felt so nice. It was the alcohol fucking up her brain. Of course it was the alcohol. She suddenly regretted all the shots she'd taken a bit back. She sat down, shaking her head furiously. Dammit. The woman ordered two drinks and spun around to look at her, an amused smile upon her face.

"I'm Alex, Alex Vause," she smiled.

"Piper Chapman," Piper replied, pleasantly. "And if you don't mind, I won't drink. My brain's a little fuzzy right now."

Alex shrugged, leaning back across the bar with a grin of amusement upon her lips. She reached across the wood for the two glasses the barman had just set down and drained the first in one gulp. "That's fine, kid, I don't mind. Just wanted to make sure you were okay. That dude seemed to be intent on getting your panties off and you didn't seem to happy about that. Don't blame him though, if I'm honest. I want your panties off right now."

Piper took a good twenty seconds to fully realise what she'd said. The moment she did, her jaw dropped and she stared at Alex with eyes full of shock. Alex just shrugged and tipped the second glass at her. The taller woman gulped it down with ease. Man, that chick could sure hold her own with alcohol. Her eyes gleamed at Piper, dancing with a fire of amusement and daring. It was hella attractive.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Alex set the glass down with a chink on the table. "I said 'I want your- Oh come on. Basically, I'm hitting on you." She chuckled, leaning in towards Piper. "Look, I understand if you like don't want to do me but you look really upset. I can give you a good time, kid. Make you forget all your problems."

Piper was even more speechless than she was before and she'd barely even spoken. She couldn't process it, it just wasn't going through her head. Alex hadn't said that. No, that wasn't possible. Someone as hot as that wasn't interested in her, they just couldn't be. But the look in Alex's eyes spoke differently. Piper had never been with a woman before but this lady sure was going to turn her. She leaned forward, perching her head upon her hands, arching her eyebrows.

"Can you now, hmm?" she smiled. "Wanna show me?"

Alex's eyes lit up, a deep lustful fire roaring within those dark spheres. It was making Piper wet just looking at them. God only know what it was going to be like when they actually started fucking. She smiled flirtatiously.

Alex leaned over and kissed her on the mouth, strong hands quickly finding their place on her body. Their tongues met in a heated clash, like a war of strength and fire. Her hands roamed across Alex's bare skin, slipping under the thin material of her dress to her thighs and the thin materials of her panties. The woman chuckled against her lips and Piper could feel herself getting even wetter.

Without detaching from one another, they managed to make it outside and to a fancy car, that Piper only vaguely recognised as a Mercedes Benz, without tripping. She could only imagine how much it costed. Alex fumbled about in her bra, withdrawing a car key and opening the door. Car sex. Interesting and sexy as fuck.

Alex threw Piper across the backseat, quickly climbing in on top of her. The door shut behind them and then they were kissing again. Piper found that her shirt was quickly discarded along with her bra, tossed somewhere in the car. Alex's lips left her mouth, kissing their way down her throat. One hand kneaded her breast while Alex bit down on Piper's neck, sure to leave a mark. Piper moaned loudly, bucking he hips beneath the taller woman's body.

Alex's mouth moved along her collarbone, biting hard and with a swift sweep of her tongue, cooled the stinging pain down to a feeling that was pleasurable. She was absolutely amazing, she knew how to pleasure Piper with ease. Down her body she went, taking one of Piper's hard nipples into her mouth. Piper moaned again, breath coming out in short, fevered gasps.

"Fuck, Alex!" she groaned.

Alex didn't respond, attention solely focused on Piper's nipples. She sucked lightly at first, then gripped with her teeth hard. Piper was going to have a strand array of bruises the next day. Just imaging what she'd have to make up to tell anyone who noticed almost made her laugh. Almost. She was too busy moaning to laugh.

Alex paused for a second, sitting up from her position to pull her tight dress up over her head and off her body. Underneath her clothes, she was wearing one of the sexiest bra's Piper had ever seen on the sexiest woman alive. It was pink and lacy tinged black with not much coverage. It showed off the right amount of cleavage to make Piper want so much more. Her panties matched; pink, black and lacy too. Piper's eyes swept hungrily over her body. She was so wet right now.

Alex tossed the dress into the front seat and turned her attention to Piper's skirt. Admittedly, Piper's skirt was really short. As in really, really short. It barely covered anything and even when she was standing straight, you could see the hem of her panties. But Alex wasn't happy with just seeing the hem, she wanted to see all of Piper.

She pulled her skirt down her legs and it down joined her dress in the front seat. Left in only her panties, Piper felt a little embarrassed. She hadn't been taking care of herself recently. She didn't want Alex to see her like this. But Alex didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, the fire in her eyes roared even more. She was seeing only beauty in her flawed body and Piper feel a strange warmth in her chest.

"Holy shit, you're so wet right now," Alex muttered, rubbing the growing wet spot on her panties.

Piper moaned. Alex was just teasing her at the moment, leaning down to pepper light kisses on the inside of her thighs. She wanted Alex to fuck her so badly now. She was ready to beg her to, ready to get down on her knees. She needed the comfort and the distraction and Alex was just plain hot. Piper was kinda shallow like that, she liked hot people.

Alex's fingers played with the hem of her panties, lips pulled back into a grin. Piper glared up at her with an expression that clearly told Alex to take them off right now. Alex was only too happy to oblige. Alex pulled Piper's panties off and they hit the car floor. Alex removed her glasses, winking seductively at her and she lowered herself down between Piper's legs. Her breath quickened.

Alex was still teasing her, slowly kissing her way towards her centre. Piper gripped the leather seat, moaning. She wanted her so badly. Slowly but surely, Alex's mouth met with Piper's pussy. The moment they touched, Alex was eating her out like a pro. She felt her tongue rasp up and down her slit, lapping up the wetness. Piper was making the weirdness noises right now. She gripped at Alex's hair, keeping the woman's head firmly in place between her legs.

Alex's teeth grazed her clit, quickly latching on and sucking hard. Piper moaned so loudly it was practically a small scream. She'd had sex before but not with another woman. Sex with men just didn't compare to what it felt like to have Alex eating her out. It was amazing, she couldn't believe she had never done this before.

Alex's tongue ended up deep inside her, thrust between the lips of her pussy.

"Holy shit, holy shit, I'm coming, I'm fucking coming!" Piper moaned, feeling her walls clench up inside her. She kept her grip on Alex's hair, hips bucking up into the woman's face. She was nearing her climax.

And then she came, screaming and crying Alex's name. Her nails dug into Alex's scalp but the woman didn't seem to mind. Alex's head came up, mouth and lips coated with a layer of Piper's cum. The taller woman licked her lips, tongue sweeping across her skin and tasting exactly what Piper tasted like.

Piper's chest heaved up and down, her eyes wide and staring. Alex smirked at her, wiggling her high arching eyebrows at her. She moved up Piper's body, lips hungrily latching onto hers. Piper moaned beneath Alex, tasting her own cum upon Alex's lips. Suddenly, Alex pulled away, gazing down at her.

"Hey... my apartment's not too far from here," Alex smiled. "You wanna... Go there?"

Piper stared up at her, lips slipping into a smile. "You bet, let's go now."

Alex sat up off Piper, reaching for her dress in the front seat. Much to Piper's disappointment, Alex pulled the tight material over head and redressed herself. She jumped up, almost bashing her head off the roof and climbed into the front seat. Piper's clothes landed on top of her. "Get dressed. You'll give some of the passerbys a weird impression if you go about butt naked. Not complaining but I'm thinking of your dignity."

Piper casually fished her bra out of the bundle, eyeing Alex seductively, hoping for another round. Alex just laughed and started up the car engine. As they drove away from the bar, Piper's heart burned with a strange feeling. She finally felt complete, it was different from what she'd felt with Larry. Unknown to Alex, the taller woman had totally captured Piper's heart...


	2. Eight and Counting, Bitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this took me AGES to write and get up but like yeah. I did in the end so be proud of me. Now, I know I took a slight veer ( hahah, oh puns *wipes tear from eye* ) from smut but like this is how I roll. Anyway, enjoy! I'm working on chapter three so stay tuned!

As Alex started to drive at a snail pace, Piper snatched up her clothes and started dressing. Her top was tight and hugged every curve of her body, from her breasts, right down to the small ripples on her stomach. She fished her high heels up from the car floor and tucked her feet into them. They gave her a few extra inches of heigh but she was still nowhere near Alex. It took her a while to find her skirt but she did.

She was fully clothed ( but dressed like a fucking slut ) by the time Alex had reached the end of the road and paused at traffic lights.

Alex hadn't said anything all the while, just adjusted her glasses and gazed at the road ahead of her. Piper latched onto the passenger seat, debating whether or not to climb in beside her. In the end, she didn't. She just didn't want to for no good reason. She stayed in the back and studied Alex's face as they drove.

Damn, she was one fine looking woman. Every feature of hers was so perfect and so sharp and her hair sat just the right way on her head. Her lips were curved into a mix between a smirk and a smile. And the glasses, oh dear God. The glasses made her look so sexy, it was unbelievably unfair.

Normally, glasses made a person look cute or adorably nerdy but Alex wore them in a way that made them look as thought they were lingerie for her face. It make her look sexy and fierce and dominant as fuck. Lingerie on her face.

The thought made Piper giggle. Face-lingerie, now there was an idea. She giggled again. She could only imagine what the style would look like. Fishnets for the face. Was that even possible to have? She didn't know and did she care? Nope. It was making her laugh and that was all that mattered to her.

But it was probably the alcohol fucking with her brain.

"You okay back there?" Alex smirked from the drivers' seat, not bothering to look around. "You sound like a fucking crazy bitch ready to murder someone. What's got yah going, Pipes?"

Piper laughed and flipped her loose hair the other way. "You're beautiful," she said cheerily. "And I really, really like that." She set off laughing again, one hand light brushing against her shoulder.

Alex flinched as though someone had hit her. The woman jerked away from Piper's touch as though it was fire and stayed away, her body firmly pressed up against the car door. Piper's brain was too slow and messed up to register what had happened. If it was clear and working, she might have been heavily offended. But in her drunken state, she didn't notice at all.

"You... You have such beautiful eyes, Alex... - hiccup- ," she said, stumbling over her words with a sloppy smile on her face. "They just... Electrify... Electrify everything you look at - hiccup! - ... They make me feel as though.. As though I'm worth something... Hahaha..."

Piper giggled again like a little child. Only later would she realise that she'd actually spoken from the heart just there, without meaning to. The last few weeks had been crappy as fuck and she'd felt awful about herself. She thought she'd been worthless and horrible and that it was her that drove Larry away. She'd loved Larry with everything she'd had and he'd left her even still.

Polly had made her feel even worse. They'd been best friends for she didn't even know how long. They'd bonded over so much, had such great times together and even set up PoPi together like sisters. But Polly had turned into a homewreaker and stolen her fiancé. In her heart, she still loved Polly but she knew she could never forgive her. Not while the ring lay on her finger instead of Piper's.

Alex's eyes flicked back at her, a strange questioning in her gaze. Deep down, she felt strangely touched by the compliment. It was such a nice thing to say, even if it was coming from a drunk chick she'd picked up at a bar. She didn't receive many complements from where she came from.

Piper started humming a song, one of the old songs from her childhood that just randomly popped into her head. It was a theme song of one of the kids shows she'd used to watch, though she couldn't remember the name no matter how hard she tried. It was so great that she couldn't resist singing it at the top of her lungs.

"Me and yooooooooooou, we'll be together!" she sang, kicking the chair in an attempt to get a rhythm going. "Hmmm, hum - hiccup -, him, together! Oh yeah!"

She saw Alex smile in the mirror and it spurred her on to go for it all the way. She went into a full guitar solo, by herself, in the back of a car, completely drunk and fucking rocked it out. "Nah nah nah, NAH NAH NAH! - hiccup! - " she yelled while strumming an imaginary guitar. "Together!"

Alex burst out laughing and actually had to cover her mouth, she'd found it so funny. Piper's lips quirked and she gave a mock bow to Alex's sarcastic applause.

"Thank you, thank you - hiccup! -, thank you very much," she bowed, going into an 'Elvis' voice for a bit. "I'd like tah thank my mom and my cat and my old 'ear bud, Frank. Thanks to all of youse, without ye's, I would never have been able to come to this bar and meet this - hiccup! - gorgeous woman. Oops, wrong speech! - hiccup! - "

Alex looked back at Piper, shaking her head. "Jesus Christ, you're so fucking drunk, you must be in bliss! How much did you damn drink?"

Piper raised a hand with three fingers raised. "Eight!" she crowed, voice loud and proud. "Eight and counting, bitch, - hiccup! - . Ooh, drinking... Hehe... How many did you drink, Alex, heheh? How - hic! -, many?"

Alex frowned and looked down at the steering wheel. Her vision started to blur and she shook her head to clear it. It was still fuzzy but a teeny bit better. She had a pounding headache that wasn't going away. It made driving a whole lot worse.

"What the fuck?" she moaned, massaging her temples with one hand. "How much did I drink? A fuckload, okay? ... a lot more than a shitload anyway... So fucking much.. "

Her body had been shaking for the last few minutes and she hadn't noticed. Dully, she wondered what was going on. What was wrong? Was it something she ate? Or drank? She'd been drinking nonstop for the last few hours. Drinking. And driving. Drinking. And driving. Drink driving.

"Oh, shit," she muttered under her breath, panic settling in. "Oh fuck, oh fuck oh fuck!"

Alex might have been a damn irresponsible person but even she knew drinking and driving at the same time was wrong. And fucking dangerous. You could seriously die and kill everyone near you being drunk in a car. She needed to get off this road right now. To turn of the fucking car and call Nicky and her girlfriend, wife-to-be. Get help to sober up.

Piper was still singing away to herself again in the back, happily oblivious to Alex's problem. Alex's hand tightened on the steering wheel and she shook her head. There was a parking spot nearby right? Everywhere couldn't be taken up, not at this time of night. She'd park somewhere and stop and be safe.

She spotted an empty space just ahead and to the left and steered the car towards it.

"Alex?... Hmm?... Why we going - hiccup! - towards da truck?..." Piper giggled, leaning over beside her and pointing at the road.

Too late did she realise that she was pulling over across the road right into the path of an incoming lorry. It's horn blared louder and louder, trying to warn her. She tried to steer away, to stop the collision before it happened. But it was too late. It was coming too fast, they couldn't avoid it.

The lorry smashed into her car and her vision went red. And then it went black.

Piper was thrown across the car as they wildly spun out of control. Dimly, she wondered what was going on but her brain was too slow to process it. It was mildly fun, like a roller coaster of sort. Until she hit the window with the force of a fucking typhoon.

She screamed in pain but the momentum of the car didn't stop. She was thrown this way and that way as they spun. She scrabbled at the windows, at the chairs, at the roof, trying to find something to grab onto. But her hands ran smooth off all surfaces, fingers grabbing for something that wasn't there.

Her arms flared with pain, her whole body hurt. Finally, she grabbed hold of the headrest of the passenger seat. The car kept spinning but she managed to stay still enough to avoid crashing off the side of the car. Her head hurt so much.

All the while, she could hear Alex screams mixing with her own. Only a few minutes ago had that sound seemed like music to her ears. But now, it wasn't a scream of pleasure. It was a scream of pain, of terror, of fucking danger.

Finally the car spun to a stop, smashing to a wall in the process. Glass shattered and rained over her. Piper covered her head with her arms, trying to shut out the whole world. She was in pain, in so much pain and her head ached from not just alcohol.

With the car at a standstill, she gingerly shuffled across to Alex's seat, moaning as she did. Her muscles felt like they were on fire. They burned with pain and effort but she needed to get over.

"Alex..." she whispered weakly, reaching out towards the dark haired woman. "Alex..."

Alex didn't answer. The woman was slumped across the steering wheel, arms hanging limply by her side. The front window was shattered and there were shards of glass in Alex's hair. Her glasses were askew and her eyes were wide open, staring at nothing.

"Alex, please..." Piper begged, hand touching her shoulder. "Alex!"

The woman didn't respond to her shaking her and Piper reached further to touch her face. It was warm, so warm and when her fingers came away, they were coated in blood. Piper screamed again.

Her head was still spinning and she could feel herself slipping away. She didn't want to. She didn't want to leave Alex like this. She didn't even know if the woman was alive. She raised at hand to her temple and found the skin wet and sticky.

"Holy shit!"

"Someone call the ambulance!"

"The passengers! The passengers!"

Voices crammed at Piper head and she slumped over the seat. Her hand scrabbled weakly at the door handle. She.. She.. She was slipping away... No.. She couldn't...! But... She was... Slowly, her light was going out.

In the distance, she could hear sirens blaring. But they were so far away. It was too long, they wouldn't arrive in time. Alex needed help now. She didn't have time to wait, they needed to help her immediately.

A face pressed up against the window, gazing in at her. Wide eyes, hands splayed against the glass. Their breath clouded against the window, fogging up the view. Piper screamed, voice weak but audible.

"Alex! Help her!"

The person vanished from her view and Piper's heart dropped. Alex. Alex needed help and now. They needed to help her or something bad would happen.

Her vision blurred and darkened as her head spun in circles. Piper stared at the slowly fading ceiling, a sinking feeling in her chest. This was bad. This was so fucking bad.

She heard a sharp crack and suddenly, the door beside her flew open. Piper weakly turned her head. Hands grabbed her shoulders and roughly pulled her out. Piper's body screamed in protest but she couldn't do anything about it.

"Alex..." she murmured. "Alex..."

The person leaned over her, features unrecognisable in the blur. Piper's eyes started to close against her will. She wanted to stay awake but that unfortunately wasn't going to happen.

"Stay with me, woman!" a voice snapped but Piper was slipping into unconsciousness. "Come on! Stay with me!"

Piper laughed faintly, mouth sloppily grinning. No. No, she wasn't staying. She was slipping away, slipping away into the dark dark night.


	3. You Look Like Crap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally, here's Chapter 3 for y'all. Sorry if the last chapter was kinda random and just thrown in there. I feel as though it was. But this way, it'll actually have some storyline inside of being PWP. So yeah. Here you go, hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!
> 
> Its a little shorter than usual but please bear with me. I'm trying. Thanks so much - Free

"-okay. Just a few more minutes-"

"-blood fast-"

"-fine. She's strong for a-"

Piper's head hurt. It hurt a lot. And the voices hovering beside her didn't help at all. She moaned, shifting her weight slightly. The surface beneath her was hard and smooth. Like metal. But too warm for metal. Plastic. She moved again.

Almost instantly, she felt hands land on her shoulders, a strong force pinning her to the bed. She still couldn't see properly yet, everything was a hazy blur.

"Don't move..." a voice said. "... Steady... Good..."

The words swam to her ears in short clips. No full sentence but only parts of it. But from the parts she got, she understood what they were asking. They wanted her to stay still.

For what reason, she didn't know. But staying still seemed like a good idea. Her body was heavy and tired, she didn't feel like moving. She just wanted to lie here and do nothing. Stare at the ceiling and try to understand the shapes in her eyes.

The voices continued talking, although she tuned it out. She didn't want to listen to them. Didn't have to. Besides, they weren't making too much sense. Something about needles? Tools? She didn't know exactly.

What was going on here anyway? She didn't know. She frowned, eyes blinking. Hmm... That was good question. Her eyes were unfocused and staring, though she could make out the shape of a lamp above her.

She paused, listening to the voice again. It wasn't talking to her but to someone else in the room. Interesting. So someone else was also here. She frowned.

She couldn't make out much of the words and none had any hint as to what was happening. No sight, no hearing. Well, she had other senses she could use.

She sniffed deeply, drawing in the scents all around her. Clean like bleach. The area had been cleaned quite recently. She also smelt something odd. A strange scent she didn't know or could remember. Also the metallic tang of blood.

None of these made any sense to Piper but she took them in anyway. The surface beneath her was plastic, she guessed. There was nothing else for her to understand.

Her mouth felt dry. Dry but not thirsty.

Suddenly, Piper felt a sharp sting in her neck and she gasped. A hand also rested by her neck, holding her head still. Needles, she thought faintly. Needles.

Her vision started to darkened again as she slipped away into unconsciousness again. Dammit. She still didn't understand. But the chemicals in the needle slowly sent her off to sleep again.

Piper awoke with a start, eyes flying open. She'd been dreaming. And the dream had not been very nice. It was slipping away already but she could remember the terror that flooded through her system and the flashing lights that burned her eyes.

Piper looked about her, suddenly realising where she was. In a hospital bed.

The room was your typical hospital room, white and clean with that annoyingly clean scent. Not interesting or original at all. Piper didn't like hospitals. They weren't colourful or nice.

She looked down at herself, taking in her hideous outfit. She was wearing a hospital robe and seemingly nothing else. She frowned.

"Oh! You're awake!"

That was the moment when Piper realised she wasn't alone. Sitting at the foot of her bed was a stunningly beautiful woman. Short brown hair that was perfectly styled across her head. Gorgeous blue eyes and high cheekbones. Piper blushed despite herself.

Then she remembered Alex.

Oh my god, Alex. Alex. Alex Alex Alex. Where was she? Was she alright? The car crash all came rushing back in one big tidal wave. Alex. Her face coated in blood. Eyes unseeing and mouth unanswering. Pain across her side. Flashing lights and people crying out for help. Or was that her crying for help?

"Alex!" Piper cried, sitting up frantically. "Alex! Where is she?! Is she okay!? Oh my god, I need to see her! I-"

The woman jumped up, reaching out to push her back to the bed.

"Who? Vause? Dark hair, super tall?" the woman smiled, her Australian accent evident in her voice. "Relax, Piper. She's fine but she had to have some surgery. Some of the glass went deep. But she's okay, still on sedatives though."

Piper slowly relaxed, staring up at the woman in confusion.

"Who are you?"

The woman stepped back, an amused smile on her face.

"I'm Stella. Stella Carlin," she smiled. "And I'm the one that pulled you and Vause out of that fucked up car."

Piper found herself smiling back. Despite everything that had happened to have her end up sitting in this bed, she smiled. Stella was undeniably very attractive and Piper felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Thank you," Piper said softly. "Seriously, thank you."

Stella smiled back and pulled a chair up beside her bedside. "No problem, Piper. Couldn't let a gorgeous woman die or what sort of a person am I?"

Piper flushed even more with embarrassment. Wow. This was not what she expected to here. Was Stella hitting on her? Flirting? Qossibly, though it was a weird place to do it.

Well, this certainly was turn around. Only yesterday, Piper had been alone and miserable, willing to drink the rest of her days away if only it got rid of the pain. But now, sure she'd been in a car crash, but she'd the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen and now, there was another one.

Two, absolutely gorgeous woman seemed to be very interested in her. Piper could not believe this was happening. How? She wasn't even that special. She could admit, she wasn't that ugly but she wasn't that attractive either.

Why? She didn't know. People just seemed to like her for someone reason. But she sure wasn't going to complain. She had these hot woman after her.

"You okay, Chapman?" Stella frowned. "You look dazed."

Piper blinked, coming back into reality. "Yeah. Oh, yeah. Totally fine," she breathed. "Perfectly okay."

Stella's eyebrows furrowed. "I think it's the sedatives, you don't seem okay."

Piper felt almost giddy. Oh, life was amazing right now. Between both Stella and Alex, she was smitten. Though with which one she was unsure. She didn't really want to choose.

Stella started to rise from her seat. "Oi, doc! I think-"

"No, wait!" Piper protested, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I'm fine, just a little confused. My brain is still stuck in hangover mode."

Stella slowly sat back down, lips curved into a sly smirk. "Figures. The doctor did say you'd an alarming amount of alcohol in your system. You must be one party animal."

The next twenty minutes passed quickly with an easy conversation between the two of them. Stella was a charming woman with a sharp tongue and lots of humour. Piper felt herself growing to like the woman even more.

When Stella rose to leave, Piper felt a little sad. She liked the woman and she seemed to like her back.

"I gotta go now, Chapman," Stella smiled, slipping a leather jacket over her shoulders. "But I'll check in on you tomorrow. I'm legally responsible for you until you recover your state of mind."

Piper blushed, feeling the slight jab of pain in her head. Yeah, she'd taken a shit ton of alcohol and the hangover would be pounding down on her.

"I'll see you later, Piper."

Piper blinked, smiling. "I'll be waiting in hope."

Stella laughed and clapped a hand down on her leg cut sent a wave of sharp pain up her body but Piper didn't let her see. She just smiled.

Stella turned and walked towards the door, lazy steps across the ground. But before she made it, a voice laced with anger snapped out from the shadows.

"Carlin? What the fuck are you doing here?"

Stella frowned, then her face slipped into a sly grin. She stopped in her tracks and folded her arms, laughing. "Oh Nichols. Fancy seeing you here."

A woman stepped through the door, a stormy expression on her face. Her hair was blonde-brown and almost mad, curly and wild, though not in an afro style. She glared aggressively at Stella.

"Nichols" stepped forward, squaring up to Stella with a dark gaze. "What the fuck you doing here?"

Stella laughed. "Didn't Vause tell you? It was me that pulled her and Chapman from the wreaked car. Instead of acting all aggressive, you should be thanking me."

The woman's scowled, pushing past Stella into the room. "Whatever. Get out."

Stella's expression darkened. "I was leaving anyway." With that, she vanished from the room, not so much as looking back at either of them.

The woman squinted, frowning at Piper. "You Piper, huh? Chapman, the one with Alex's hand in her pants?"

Piper was taken back. What was this now? Who was this woman? And damn, that was one way to describe her.

"Yeah, that's me," Piper said, coldly. "And you are?"

The woman laughed, taking the seat Stella had just vacated. "Names Nicole Nichols but you can call me Nicky. I'm Alex's flatmate and she sent me to check up on yah. Boy, you look like crap."

"Alex?" Piper was suddenly very interested, leaning forward towards her. She winced, a sharp pain in her side. "Is she okay? Stella said she was but where is she? Can I see her? Can-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Nicky grinned, pressing a hand to her head. "Calm down, Chapman! Brains can only take so much thinking. One question at a time please."

Piper blinked twice.

"Fine. Is Alex okay?"

The side of Nicky's lips quirked upwards and she nodded. "Sure thing, Chap. Vause is as fit as a fiddle, well... Not really. She's pretty shaken up but she'll be okay."

Piper let out a sigh of relief. Thank God. She didn't want anything to happen to the dark haired woman.

"Can I see her?"

Nicky's smirk left her and she shook her head. "They only let me in for two minutes. Like literally, two minutes. I'd barely time to ask her how she was doing. She was like, good but where Piper? She's pretty damn obsessed with you."

Piper blushed against her will, glancing away from the curly haired woman. Alex obsessed? With her? She couldn't believe it. How could she be obsessed with her? She was so ordinary and unspecial.

"I doubt they'd let you in, even if you weren't as beat up as you are," Nicky continued.

Piper started to protest. "I'm not beat up! Those people fixed me up and-" Suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain in her side and she went quiet, wincing.

"Sure, whatever you fucking say," Nicky scoffed, leaning back in her chair. "But they did surgery on yah, sweetie. Whatever the shit, it's gonna hurt for a while."

Piper pursed her lips. Okay, so maybe she was a bit hurt. But that wasn't going to stop her from trying to see Alex. She was so worried about the woman. She just needed to see her to confirm that she was okay.

Piper threw back the covers, slinging her legs over the side. Almost immediately, her stomach churned and she almost threw up. Nicky was standing in a flash. Piper gripped the edge of the bed, trying to settle her stomach.

"Whoa, chill, Chapman!" Nicky said, grabbing onto her shoulder. "As you seriously trying to move? Get back in that bed now!"

Piper shook her head, not trusting herself to open her mouth. Otherwise, she might be sick all over herself.

Nicky was persistent, pushing her back to the pillows. Piper tried to fight back but she was honestly too weak. She laid back on the pillows, a sharp pain in her side.

"Piper, what are you doing? You fucking insane?"

Piper's sickness slowly quelled and she opened her mouth. She didn't vomit, thankfully. "I need to see her," she whispered. "I need to see if she's okay."

Nicky laughed, sitting back down. She tossed the covers back over Piper with a careless throw. Piper caught them, laying them more carefully over herself.

Nicky clapped her arm, making Piper wince. "This is a hospital, Chapman," she grinned. "That's the whole point of this goddamn place. To make people okay. Alex will be perfectly fine and sexy as usual."

Piper smiled, tilting her head. Fair was fair. That did make sense.

"So Nicky, sins you're here," she smiled. "Tell me about yourself."

That quickly descended into a conversation. They spent the next few hours chatting and just talking about any random thing in their lives.

Piper found out that Nicky was a sassily sarcastic woman with lots of spunk. Even though she was hella rude at times, Piper found herself warming to her. Her sassiness had humour and it amusing to listen to her rant about things.

Nicky was engaged to a woman named Lorna. The woman's voice softened when she talked about her, praising her in ways that made Piper's heart hurt. It was so obvious that Nicky was in love, even though she tried hard not to show it.

Piper longed to here someone talk about her like that. But she didn't have anyone like that. No since Larry and he'd been a bastard. No. She wanted someone to love her and to do so properly. It hurt a bit but she was happy for Nicky.

After three hours, the doctor came in and shooed Nicky out impatiently. The woman wasn't in anyway happy about that and made some rude comments as she left the room. The doctor didn't respond, only glared at her.

Piper laughed and laughed, even though her sides hurt. Nicky was just hilarious. The woman flashed her sly wink. "Vause made the right choice, Piper. I approve," she chuckled before leaving.

The doctor sighed and sat down next to her. There was a clipboard in his hands and he tutted gently. His voice was monotonous as he asked her questions, which was such a change from Nicky's aggressive tones. It was kinda boring and he really didn't seem to care. All he did was write his answers and get on with it.

Finally, he finished asking her questions. He moved to go but Piper grabbed his hand to stop him. She had one question that she needed the answer. Two people had given her answers but she just needed reassurance.

"Alex..." she whispered. "Is she okay?"

The doctor stared at her then slowly pried her hand off. He looked at her disdainful and nodded.

"Yes. Your friend is perfectly fine."

Then he left, leaving Piper lying on the bed. She rolled onto her side, a small smile upon her lips. Alex. She was okay. Thank God, thank the heavens, thank anyone who had helped. Slowly, very slowly, she drifted off into a restful sleep.


	4. She Was Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper's finally let out from hospital, oh and guess what? So is Alex!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I may have lied with that discontinued tag but meh. It'll be a while before I have the motivation to update. But hey, be glad it did!

The next few days of Piper's life was doctors, nurses and more doctors. People came in to check her injuries, ask her how she was feeling and other things that she just said yes simply because she didn't really understand what she was being asked.

Nicky occasionally popped in as well, giving her updates on Alex's condition. Piper gratefully welcomed that information.

Apparently the woman had taken a hard hit, having been in the front of the car when they'd crashed. She'd broken both legs but thankfully no damage to her back. It would only be temporary. Piper was relieved to say to the least.

But she was so dreadfully tired of talking about her injury. She'd broken a couple of ribs and the rest of her body was dreadfully bruised. She just wanted to rest, not be endlessly interrogated about how tired she felt.

The week went by painfully slowly but she still hadn't seen Alex. Despite all the doctors and Nicky reassuring her that she was fine, Piper still felt worried. It was okay to be worried, right? After all they'd went through it together. It was natural to be worried.

It was another week before she saw Alex.

They were both being discharged at the same time and Piper thanked the gods for that fateful alinement. Maybe she'd get a glimpse of her, ask a question or two effort they'd have to part ways.

The doctor sent her to go home with only a warning not to strain herself. She was healing, not fully healed yet, but quite enough to be walking about. Piper had politely declined calling her family for a lift. The only one she could stand to see was her brother and he was away with his wife so that wasn't an option.

So they'd called a taxicab.

Piper sat in the waiting room, waiting patiently for the taxi to arrive. It was late enough, the sky only beginning to dull. In a few hours it would be too dark in walk about safely and-

"Hey Chapman."

A familiar voice cut though her thoughts. Piper's heart fluttered and she turned her head in hope. It was Alex, being pushed in a wheelchair but still Alex. The woman looked as battered as Piper felt.

"How are you?"

Piper gasped. "Vause..."

Alex rolled up beside her, a smile plastered on her face. The woman pushing her leaned back, trying to give them some privacy to talk. "How you doing, Pipes? They said you'd broken some ribs but I didn't see you."

"I was so worried."

It slipped out without Piper's consent. She hasn't meant to say anything, she'd meant to say some witty but flirty comment back. But it was the honest to god truth.

She'd been so worried about Alex's well being. It had been on her mind every day. How was Alex? When will I see her again? Is she okay? She'd been so worried about a woman she'd only met for a few minutes in a bar as a late hookup.

But for some reason, their relationship felt more meaningful than that. Like it was more than just a desperate hookup. Maybe going through a car crash did that.

Alex broke out into a wide grin and nudged her leg with her hand. Piper's skin pickled. "Same Pipes. Nicky's been coming in to see you, yeah? I asked her to keep an eye on you."

Piper laughed. "Oh Nicky's a show. She's great, I love her. Slightly mad though."

Alex nodded in agreement. "Oh she's absolutely crazy. You should have seen what she did at Christmas last year..."

The two of them talked casually about life and stuff until the taxi arrived. Much to Piper's surprise, they were taking the same one.

Alex explained that Nicky was out with Lorna today and they couldn't collect her. So they'd called a cab for her. Which happened to be the same one as they'd called for Piper.

It made sense. Of course the hospital would be cheap like that.

But Piper soon realised that she didn't really want to go home. She kinda liked it here, all the people and constant him of noise. Her house was huge, she knew that. It wasn't like she was short on money after all.

But it would be so empty. Even when she had Larry living with her, their voices had echoed across the rooms. She'd lived there for years and it had never gotten that homely feel. It was just too big t be home.

And now she was alone. Alone in that huge house without another body to keep her company.

Piper realised she was really alone.

She helped Alex into the cab as she couldn't help herself in. The back was roomy, plenty of space for the broken woman. The driver took their addresses and set off, heading for Alex's place first. Piper's gaze was out the window, thinking.

"You seem upset," Alex commented.

Piper snapped her head up, a flush rising to her cheeks. She'd noticed. How? Was it that obvious?

Alex tilted her head. "Sorry. I just got a vibe from you. You and I.., we've got a connection..." Alex stopped, grimacing. She probably hadn't meant to say that.

Piper blushed even more but she nodded her head. "I... I... It's just..." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to be so alone in my big house. I don't want to be alone."

Alex arched a thin eyebrow. "Alone? Don't you have any family?"

"Touchy subject," Piper said for an answer.

The woman nodded sympathetically. "I understand that all too well," she sighed. "I don't talk with my family any more. My father was a dick and left years ago and my mother died three years ago. I didn't have any siblings."

Piper touched her hand softly. "I'm sorry."

Alex laughed off her concern. "It was a while ago, Chapman. I'm fine."

The driver halted next to an apartment block in a darker part of the city. "Stop One," he called out, eyeing the two of them.

Alex frowned as she peered outside. Then looked down at her legs. And back up again. She frowned even deeper. "Hey Piper. Would it be too much to ask you to help me inside?"

Piper then realised that it would be pretty impossible for Alex to make it to her apartment by herself. She frowned. If she hasn't been here what would she have done?

"Of course," she smiled, getting up. "My house is a short walk away anyway." She told the driver that they'd be getting off here. He seemed more than relieved to get them both out.

After a bit of manoeuvring and straining of her practically non-existent muscles, she managed get Alex's wheelchair out onto the footpath. They both thanked the taxi driver and he went on his way.

"You sure your house is near here?" the woman asked as Piper started wheeling her towards the building. "This area can be kinda... Shady at night."

Piper scoffed, glancing around her. "That's an understatement," she sniffed, waving a hand at the graffiti and teens smoking under the trees. A few shot looks a tad Ern but mainly they drew no interest.

Alex grinned. "You think that's bad, wait 'til you meet the inhabitants."

Something about that sentence made Piper's blood chill. She'd never been a bad person. Like she did well in school, rarely disobeyed her parents, stayed in at night instead of going out clubbing. The thoughts of drugs didn't even get a look in.

She shivered.

She wheeled Alex into the lobby which was surprisingly clean for the outside looks. A quick sweep told her that there wasn't anyone on the reception desk but there were was an elevator ton the right of it.

"Thank fuck we have an elevator," Alex moaned as Piper pressed the button. "I live on the fifth floor! Imagine trying to get up those flights of stairs!"

Piper had to agree. There'd be no way she'd be able to carry Alex up those stairs. Alex was what? 5'10? She was pretty damn tall. And pretty. Very mentally slapped herself. She didn't need to think of this right now.

Piper agreed with her and they both went into the elevator. Alex's apartment was the fourth down the hallway. The door was locked as expected.

Alex swore and rummaged for a key in her pocket but then the door opened.

To reveal a grinning, bushy-haired as always, Nicky. Piper's mouth dropped. What? Hadn't Nicky been out with her fiancée? What was she doing here? What?

"Nicky, you little shit," Alex swore, stopping her looking. "You were here the whole damn time?"

Nicky shrugged, opening the door wider to let them in. "Eh maybe. Come in, Chapman."

It was then that Piper realised why Nicky had skated collecting Alex. Because she knew it would force her to help Alex in because she couldn't do it herself. And thus bring her inside their apartment. She couldn't believe it.

That woman was damn sneaky.

And Piper had to fight back a grin. She had to give her some credit. That was a brilliant idea. Giving Nicky a smile, she wheeled Alex into the apartment. The woman jumped at the sight of it.

"Shit Nicky, this place is a mess!" Alex complained. "What did I tell you about cleaning up? It's not fucking hard!"

Nicky waved her off as she shut the door. "Enough with you and your cleanliness! I have enough with Lorna up my case! You just got back, maybe-"

"What you say 'bout me, huh?"

A strong Boston (or was it Brooklyn?) accent cut through the room, turning all faces to look. The woman whom Piper assumed to be Lorna stepped out from a doorway, hands on her hips.

She was short with dark brown hair that bounced across her shoulders in curly waves. Her lips were painted bright pink as she smiled at the bushy haired woman. She was pretty, Piper would admit.

And from the wedding ring of her finger it was obvious this was the woman Nicky talked so fondly of.

"Oh 'ello there," she greeted, coming over to see Piper. She squinted up at her. "You must be that Piper one that Nicky was talkin' 'bout, right? Nice to meet yah, names Lorna Morello."

"Soon to be Lorna Nichols," Nicky butted her, hugging her fiancé from behind.

"Naw naw naw, dear," Lorna protested, tapping her hands. "I said Nicole Morello."

"Whaaaat? I could have sworn we'd agreed with Nichols-"

Alex wheeled herself forward to interrupt the couple. "Bet you two have been getting all heated up having the apartment to yourself. What? Did the neighbours complain at all?"

Lorna waved a hand. "They always be complainin', ain't much different."

Nicky nodded though she put her two fingers near her mouth and stuck her tongue between them. Alex started to laugh and Piper had to join in. The three of them, such a group. They were a real laugh.

"So Piper, you gonna stay for dinner?"

As much as she wanted to, Piper felt she had to decline. She had a lot to do. "Oh I couldn't, I have to be going home and-"

"Home? You got a car, Chapman?" Nicky interrupted.

"Well no, but-"

"Naw, like hell we letting you walk home at this time," Lorna said firmly. "You ain't want to be messing with these folks. They all slim and shady, you can stay for dinner and call a cab."

And just like that Piper was staying for dinner.

Not that she minded. Lorna it turned out was Italian-American and was really good at making lasagna. She claimed that her parents didn't even teach her, that it was an old mentor named Red.

The other two nodded fondly when she said that, like they knew her too. Piper didn't pry.

The lasagna was absolutely amazing, Piper had to go for seconds. And she gobbled all that up too. Hospital goodbye a small awful, let's be real. And then Nicky opened a wine bottle and she had to have some of that too.

And this was how she ended up sitting on their couch at eleven o'clock, chatting and drinking wine. They were great, they all were. Funn, witty but unbelievably friendly. It turned out Alex wasn't just sexy but she was also such a nice person.

She could stay here and be happy.

And as if she'd taken the words right out of her mind, Nicky asked "You should stay over, Chapman. We'd love the company. Might make Vause be a llittle less mopey."

Naturally she'd tried to protest but both her desires and their somewhat solid arguments, she'd found herself staying the night. And lying in Alex's bed in the dark.

The woman lay on the other side of the double bed, breath warming Piper's neck. The apartment was double roomed with double beds in each. Nicky and Lorna had one while Alex usually slept alone. Except tonight she shared it with Piper.

Piper rolled over to face the woman. Those eyes fluttered open to rest on her. She smiled.

"Did you help them plan it?" she whispered softly.

Alex frowned them rolled her eyes. "Not even. The two of them, sneaky little bastards. They knew they'd be able to persuade you to stay." She snorted. "Guess I have to thank them though."

"Hmm?"

Alex tilted her head. "You said you didn't want to be alone. Well... You don't have to be."

"What are you saying?"

Alex ran a hand down her cheek and Piper longed for that touch. "Stay with us. If you want to leave, we won't ever stop you. But you're welcome here any time."

Piper blinked, staring at her in the dark. Stay.. With them? Like permanently? Could she really? She closed her eyes. She needed to think. She need to think about it.

"You don't need to answer right away," Alex's voice reassured her.

"No," Piper said, opening her eyes. "No, I'd like that. I like to stay. Thank you."

Alex smiled and it was so real and soft that Piper's heart fluttered. "I should be thanking you."

"Hmph. We'll see about that when you live with me."

Alex laughed and Piper thought that she could drown in that laugh. So pure and beautiful. So amazing.

And so she fell asleep, laying next the dark haired woman. Life was good. Things were great. She was happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are very much appreciated. If you enjoyed this and want to show some support, feel free to find me on tumblr (https://the-demons-behind-your-smile.tumblr.com/). Fic requests are currently open or if you just want to send me asks :) 
> 
> Thank you so much ^-^
> 
> FreeGrain


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